Travel Tips

This is Joep, the late Brielle (Netherlands) toy shop mascot, sitting with his owner, Jard. Joep took his responsibilities seriously. He ran up and down narrow stairs without stumbling, barked warnings from his rooftop garden, and sat in front of the shop, greeting visitors.

His successor, also named Joep, now carries on the tradition.

Zacky Wack lived on a farm in Western Maryland, USA, where he liked to lie by the wood-burning stove in the winter time. One evening his owner, my friend Don, sniffed the air and asked, "What's burning?" It turned out to be Zacky, who was unperturbed but somewhat singed. Thus the handwritten caption in the corner of the photo...

This man in Bruges gives a whole new meaning to the term "doggie bag."

This is Sammy, who lives in Sacramento, California. He was born on American Independence Day, the 4th of July, and was named after Uncle Sam.

Sammy is so gentle that he let us rearrange his neckerchief and posed patiently for this picture.

This photo also appears in my Rotterdam travelogue. The slogan on the dog's bib, I'm told, translates into English as "Tasty!"

This is a puppy photo of Jasper, an obedience school graduate who lives in Santa Rosa, California. He proudly guards a household of two dogs, two humans, and a cat.

Juma (named for the faithful companion in Out of Africa) lives in San Rafael, California, and is one of the mellowest dogs I know; I have rarely heard him bark. His only vice is overturning garbage cans in search of food. In this photo, taken on a cold day, he is wearing a T-shirt belonging to his owner, in lieu of a sweater.

This is Belle of the lovely curly ears, who lived on a farm not far from Pennsylvania.